


My Pokémon Academia

by thebirdsareuptosomething



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Gen, Midoriya Izuku is a Dork, Midoriya Izuku is a Nerd, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-20 05:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20669903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebirdsareuptosomething/pseuds/thebirdsareuptosomething
Summary: Welcome to the world of Pokémon!!Midoriya Izuku has wanted to become a Pokémon Master since he could talk.Now, at 15 years old, he's ready to take the next step. He has a full team and is ready to take on the tournament for upcoming trainers in Musutafu, the 4-Badge U.A. Cup! His task will not be easy. He has strong opponents in his way. But alongside his Pokémon, he believes he can get that trophy!This is just the start of Midoriya Izuku's Pokémon Journey!





	My Pokémon Academia

**Author's Note:**

> any and all comments are appreciated!!
> 
> proof read by sunniebear
> 
> enjoy (✿◠‿◠)

Izuku played with his yellow, white, blue, and red braided bracelet as he walked up the shallow flight of stairs to the entrance gate. His yellow backpack was a steady weight on his shoulders, holding his notebooks, medicine, and his Pokéballs. The gate was marked by a royal blue arch, with the letters 'UA' in crisp, white paint decorating the front. People shuffled by, Pokémon on their shoulders, in their arms, or walking beside them.

Izuku knew that in order to become the best Pokémon trainer of all time, he needed to compete in the city-wide Musutafu tournament for upcoming trainers, the U.A. Cup. However, he was still nervous.

It wasn't that he didn't think his Pokémon were strong enough, he was just… unsure of his abilities as a trainer. Despite his countless notebooks on strategy, Pokémon types, weaknesses, items, and movesets, there was still that little voice in his head telling him he couldn't beat the other competitors. Last year's tournament had been rough.

And so, he was practically vibrating as he walked up to the registration booth, all six pokéballs containing the Pokémon he would use in his bag. He didn't like that he could only register six of his Pokémon, since he had used all of them at one point or another, and had some of them since he was 10. He and all of his Pokémon had worked so hard to get to this point. He had 4 Gym Badges underneath his belt, and the UA Cup would be the perfect way to get his name out and into the ranks, an excellent way to show all 8 regions that he was fit to be Champion. The 2-Badge Tourney was behind him.

He would become the Champion. And nothing, absolutely nothing, would stand in his way.

Well, except maybe Kacchan, who was already at the registration booth.

Izuku immediately wanted to turn on his heel and high tail it back to his apartment. Of course he didn't doubt that Kacchan would be competing, but Izuku had really wanted to avoid coming face-to-face with his childhood friend turned bully outside of the Pokémon battle grounds. He had no idea if Kacchan would still be the same since Izuku had last seen him almost two years ago. He never stopped talking about how his Pokémon were stronger than "stupid Deku's" and that he was the best trainer, and Izuku had no right to say that he would become a trainer. They used to watch tournaments together, argue about the best type, and ask both their mothers relentlessly for their own Pokémon before they were 10. But now Kacchan hated him.

Izuku turned around, away from the booth and Kacchan. With his head down, he started to walk away. He just needed some time to think. Was he really worthy? Could he defeat not only Kacchan, but ever--

He had bumped into someone. When he looked up, big brown eyes stared back into his.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" A girl only a little shorter than Izuku put her hand on his shoulder. She smiled and tilted her head a bit, which made her shoulder-length brown hair flop to the side. "I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" Her cheeks went pink and her hand scratched at the back of her neck. She laughed and said, "I'm a little distracted, I'm going to sign up to compete in the U.A. Cup! I just got my fourth badge a few days ago!"

Izuku was speechless. There was a pretty girl standing in front of him! And talking to him!

"Hey, you kind of look like you're my age, are you a trainer too?" She looked so genuinely interested in his response, and her eyes focused on only him. "Are you competing in the U.A. Cup?!" she added, enthusiastically.

"Uh- well, I-uh," Izuku said. The girl in front of him laughed, but not at him.

"I'm nervous too! It's so crowded here, anybody here could be our opponents!"

Izuku fiddled with the bracelet on his left hand and tried to put his brain in order. It didn't work.

"I'm gonna go sign up at registration! It was nice to meet you!" she said, stepping a little around him. "I hope to go up against you! I bet you have some really cool Pokémon!"

With that, she bounced away, leaving Izuku standing in the middle of the path. He talked to a girl? Rather, a girl talked to him, he had only stuttered over two words, but still! And she was so nice too! She even said she wanted to battle him, and that he probably had cool Pokémon too! Izuku smiled to himself, an intense blush running up his face.

He was being too hard on himself, he shouldn't let Kacchan make him that scared. He would compete in the U.A. Cup, and he would win it too!

Izuku turned back towards the booth and saw the bubbly girl putting one Pokéball, then another into her bag. She waved to the person behind the counter and bounced on her toes as she walked away. Kacchan was nowhere in sight. He could do this! 

He held his head high as he walked to the booth. The woman there looked tired, but she had a nice smile.

"What can I do for you kiddo?"

Izuku took a deep breath. This is what he's been waiting for since he first knew what a tournament was, what he's been training himself and his Pokémon for over the past 5 years. He would redeem himself after last year. He would win.

"I'd like to register for the U.A. Cup, ma'am!"

"Alrighty. You got 4 badges, no more, no less?"

"Yes ma'am!" he said, and pulled his badge case out. The four badges glinted in the sunlight.

"I'm happy to see that you take good care of your badges, kid!" she said, as she pulled out a few forms.

Izuku looked at all of them. "I worked really hard to get these. This is only the beginning of my collection, I'm gonna become the Champion!"

"That's the spirit!" She held her hand up for a high-five, which he gladly returned. "Date of birth?"

"July 15th, 20XX."

"Awesome! I remember competing in the 4-Badge when I was 15 too! I actually compete in the 8-Badge Tourney now. I didn't win that tournament, but I had a great time!"

"You're a Pokémon trainer too?!" Izuku leaned forward, taking a closer look at the woman in front of him. Actually, she didn't look much older than he was! She was probably still a teenager. She had vibrant light-blue hair, and her eyes matched. He actually recognized her, but he couldn't remember her name…

"Yup! I was in this Cup two years ago! I almost won it too, but that semifinal battle was really hard," she said. He grabbed his bracelet, subconsciously moving his thumb across the fiber. A lightbulb clicked on in Izuku's head.

"You're Nejire! Nejire…"

"Hadou!"

Izuku tried to hold back his excitement. "I loved your battles! You used your Altaria in such a unique way, it was awesome! It held so well against Mirio Toogata's Pikachu, I thought you had the victory for sure! But he had a really strong Pokémon team!"

Nejire giggled. "I know, right? Though that was last year's battle, the 6-Badge Tourney. I hope you're looking forward to our rematch!"

Izuku almost exploded. "A rematch??!" They will have improved so much, even after just a year! "Any new team members to counter his team?" he asked, jumping up and down.

Nejire smiled wide. "Can't tell you!" she said, followed by an over-exaggerated wink. "You'll just have to watch in a few days!"

"I'm so excited! You're gonna do great Nejire-san!" Izuku paused. Wait… "Nejire-san, why are you working a booth?"

She sighed. "Well, I gotta pay the bills somehow! Plus I'm in town. Oh! I also love seeing the competition and new trainers like you!" Izuku looked puzzled, so she continued. "I love seeing different types of trainers and how they handle their Pokémon. I can see who's doing it for what reasons, and it's just fun for me! I like seeing the combinations of Pokémon trainers come up with for a team, how they plan to cover weaknesses, all that stuff."

"Ooh." Izuku found himself liking Nejire, she was really fun to talk to!

"Speaking of which, how many Pokémon are you registering for this year's competition? Remember, it has to be at least 3, and of course, maximum of 6."

"6! But it was actually really hard to decide on my team," Izuku said.

"I know, that's always the hardest part for me!" Nejire wrote the number down. Then her eyes widened. "Wait!!"

Izuku jumped. "Wai-what? Is something wrong?!"

"What's your name?"

Izuku let out the breath he started holding when he jumped. "Midoriya, Midoriya Izuku."

"Alright Midoriya, let's see what Pokémon you got!"

\--

"Midoriya! You're all set!"

Izuku was surprised. "Already? It's been, like, what, five minutes?"

"The forms really aren't that complicated. I put your phone number down, so when the number I give you texts you, you know where to go! Oh, and here's a map too, you'll probably need it. You can put your Pokéballs back into your bag, or take one of your Pokémon out before the tournament starts. You have about an hour, so I would get something to eat, battling on an empty stomach is never fun!"

Izuku felt like he was going to cry. Everyone was so nice! "Thank you Nejire-san, I really appreciate it," he said, placing his Pokéballs gently into his backpack.

"No problem-o kid!" she said, throwing a playful punch to his shoulder. "I really look forward to seeing you out there! You have a cool team, Midoriya! Now, go get some food! You're kind of a little shrimp there, bud."

Izuku tried not to be upset by that. "Thanks Nejire," he said, turning to face some food booths. A thought popped into his head. "Hey, Nejire?"

She looked back up. "Yeah?"

He gathered his courage. "Maybe I can battle you one day?" He immediately felt embarrassed by what he just said.

To his surprise, Nejire looked at him with wonder and excitement. "That would be awesome, Midoriya!" Her smile brightened, which he didn't think was possible. "You gotta catch up!"

That made him realize he had a long way to go. She had 8 badges. He had 4. She would probably go against the Elite 4 soon, and she would use this Tourney as a way to test her strength. She might even challenge the Elite 4 next month if she felt confident enough. Izuku felt like he was so far behind. He wasn't close to her level at all.

Nejire stirred him from his thoughts. "What's with the glum face? You'll catch up in no time!"

This time, Izuku did start to cry, even if just a little bit. "Really?"

Nejire looked so sure. "Of course! With that brain, spirit, and team of yours, you'll have 8 badges in no time!"

Izuku had tears rolling down his cheeks. She really seemed like she genuinely meant it. He tried to stutter out a 'thank you' but it came out as garbled sobs. Nejire knew they were happy tears, and laughed.

"You know you're a bit of a crybaby right?" she said, smiling the whole time.

Izuku sniffled and smiled back. "S-so I've been told." Nejire laughed even harder.

Once they had both calmed down a bit, Nejire spoke again. "There are still a few spots left in the Tourney, and you should be preparing for the first round, okay kiddo?"

"Yeah, you're right!"

"Go look over your notes, they'll help a lot."

"M-my notes? How did you know?"

"I can just tell, okay?" she said. "Oh! And here's the number of the Tournament officials. They'll give you directions, in addition to the announcements," she said, handing Izuku a notecard with a phone number on it.

"Thanks, Nejire."

"Anytime, Pipsqueak! You know where I am if you want to talk, plus I'll be in the Competitor's Box in the stands during the Tournament. A plus of competing."

"Awesome! Bye!"

"See ya around, Midoriya!"

Izuku walked over to the food booths, a new spring in his step. Round 1 would start in 45 minutes, so he had, what, maybe 30 minutes before he would be called down… somewhere. He knew from watching the 4-Badge Tourney for so many years that the competitors would first stand on the battlefield for the opening ceremony, but he wasn't sure where he was supposed to go just yet. He could grab lunch before then, though.

Walking down the aisles, he saw lots of Pokémon. They didn't necessarily belong to trainers though, many people just had Pokémon as companions. He saw a fair amount of Eevees with kids younger than he was, looking at evolution stones. Izuku really hoped they wouldn't evolve their Eevee too early, it was important for Eevees to grow before they were evolved. They had to gain certain moves and strengths they would need for battling. Just because their evolution could be forced didn't mean it should be. Pokémon that could be evolved into more than one Pokémon, that had different options for evolution, has always been intriguing to Izuku. He was really lucky to get some for himself.

Other booths advertised different Pokémon food, claiming to enhance their performance in battle. He was still skeptical of some of those though. Other booths had raffles for bulk supply of medicine and food, and some were for Pokémon adoption. Izuku's heart nearly burst at a little Charmander, who thoroughly enjoyed being at the center of attention. It was bouncing around the table giving high-fives to the kids admiring it. Izuku laughed. He still wanted a Charmander, and they were a little harder to find, but that specific Charmander was rather small, so it probably was inherently weaker than larger Charmanders. That said, Izuku did have a few Pokémon that didn't battle, that he adopted because they needed a home, but he wasn't sure if he could take care of a Charmander just yet, and properly raise one if there were some health concerns. He would need to do more research on them. The Charizard evolution line is a worldwide favorite, so he could find whatever he needed online. But it would have to wait until after the competition, no matter how much he wanted to hug that Charmander.

When Izuku finally found a food booth, he settled on some katsudon. He found a seating area, but decided to sit on the edge of a raised flower bed, so he could people-watch. He brought his legs up to sit with them crossed beneath him. He didn't really care that it was improper, no one would look at him or judge him, as he was quite plain looking, and he just wanted to be comfortable. The katsudon wasn't nearly as good as his mother's, but it wasn't bad. The noodles were a bit soggy, and the dish was becoming a little cold, but the seasoning was good. It was a nice, full meal to get him through the rest of the day.

Izuku would say that when he was observing, he was in his element. Those skills worked well with analyzing a battle, but sometimes shutting it off took some effort. So, he settled for watching people eat their lunch. 

He saw quite a lot of trainers around, eating their own lunch. He thought they looked about his age, so he considered that some of them would be his opponents in just an hour. A boy with spiky, bright red hair laughed, and Izuku could see that his teeth were pointy. Maybe he liked rock type Pokémon? Perhaps steel… although, his hair could be fire-inspired. Actually, now that he was throwing his fists into the air, he could like fighting types. Maybe a combination of all of them? He didn't have any Poémon sitting beside him. However, the kid next to him had bright yellow hair with a black lightning streak. He also had a female Pikachu licking ketchup from a packet. She had a pink bow on her left ear. Izuku could immediately tell that he was an electric-type trainer. Izuku supposed he looked like a grass-type trainer according to that criteria with his green hair.

He didn't immediately recognize anyone from the year before. He lost to an odd kid with purple hair and an eerie Drowzee, but he didn't see a Drowzee anywhere. There was one kid sitting on a bench on his phone. There were a few Pokéballs attached to his belt, but what really caught his attention was the boy's hair. The color was split straight down the middle, one half white, the other red. His expression was dormant, and he didn't seem particularly interested in his surroundings or whatever was on his phone. He apparently felt Izuku watching him, because he jerked his head up and made direct eye contact. There was a scar around his left eye, some of it hiding behind his hair. His gaze was intense, so Izuku looked away, acting more interested in his katsudon than anything else. 

The red-and-white haired boy stood up and left his seat. There was a flash of worry in Izuku's mind that the boy would come towards him and attempt a conversation, but he walked in the other direction and disappeared into the crowd. The boy seemed... odd to him. Izuku wondered what Pokémon he would have.

There were some more faces among the lunch tables that Izuku found mildly interesting. One girl sitting by the fountain had large, droopy eyes that didn't have much emotion. She had long, dark green hair running down her back. She gave some of her food to the Politoed standing on the table. He saw another boy sitting in the shade of a tree. He had raven-colored hair and he wore a black sweatshirt and black skinny jeans even though it was May. The boy didn't seem bothered. At another table there were two girls sitting with some half-eaten sandwiches, the two of them deep in conversation. Actually, the purple-haired girl seemed quiet and let the pink-haired girl babble excitedly. Her face made exaggerated expressions, and her animated arm movements made the purple-haired girl laugh. Izuku felt rather lonely compared to them, but he tried not to linger on that thought. He decided against bringing his Pokémon out, because even though he longed for the company, he didn't want to risk his opponents seeing his team. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he couldn't let himself be embarrassed like last year. He wouldn't do that to his Pokémon, they deserved better.

Izuku finished his katsudon and got up to find the vendor he had gotten it from. He appreciated the use of real bowls, but he needed to find a garbage can to get rid of his chopsticks. He got up and searched over the heads of the rowdy teenagers, but couldn't find one. He sighed and went to turn around, but he smacked into a person's chest. He was about to apologize for not looking where he was going, when he was interrupted.

"Watch where you're going, fucking idiot!"

Izuku looked up and gazed into piercing, angry, crimson eyes. Kacchan was still taller than him, which Izuku was not surprised by. He was, however, surprised to see him. He had really hoped that seeing his old friend from a distance was the most interaction they would have.

"S-sorry Kacchan, I, uh, didn't--"

"Shut it, stupid Deku! I don't give a fuck!!" Kacchan loomed over him, obviously using his size as an advantage. "What are you even doing here?!"

Izuku wondered if Kacchan was secretly a Loudred. "I'm competing in the tournament!" 

Izuku's friendliness only seemed to anger Kacchan more, which Izuku wasn't entirely sure was possible. "The fuck?! You? In the tournament? _ Again? _ Please," he laughed, seeming genuinely amused at the thought. "That's pathetic. You really think you can win? Against me?!!"

Izuku imagined himself standing his ground, but he realized he was just cowering. "That's not what I said, Kacchan!"

"Quit calling me that, loser!!"

"Sorry Kacchan!" he squeaked.

Kacchan gathered the front of Izuku's shirt and pulled, bringing Izuku closer to his face. "Listen here, asswipe, there's no fucking way you'll win. How dare you even hold yourself in the same realm as me? You're pathetic, you along with your Pokémon."

Izuku didn't like being picked on, but he really hated people bullying his Pokémon. "They're strong! Just you--gah!"

Izuku was nearly lifted off the ground with that last shake. "I'm the best trainer around! I have the best Pokémon! You're a throwaway, you barely managed to get enough badges, haa?!" 

Izuku struggled underneath Kacchan's hold. "That's not true!"

Kacchan ignored him, continuing his tirade. "Your Pokémon are weak, Deku. Last year you had three weaklings! They didn't even land a hit on that Drowzee. That guy was bored, and so was I! You suck, LOSER!!"

The words hurt. He entered last year's competition with just three Pokémon. They weren't very strong, but they had managed to get him the two required badges. He had had high hopes going in that first round, with one of his Pokémon freshly evolved. He hadn't thought about how crucial status-changers were, and he hadn't brought any awakenings. He had been under-prepared and he paid the price. The other trainer swept his team with ease.

"Your Eevee was pathetic! It wasn't strong enough to be evolved yet! It probably still isn't! Even if it was, you'd probably pick something awful, like Flareon! Or Glaceon!" Izuku detested that statement. Flareon and Glaceon weren't the strongest Eeveelutions, and he wouldn't choose either for his own team, but they weren't awful. No Pokémon deserved that!

"My team of six is awesome! They are all great, and they will… they will win!"

Kacchan scoffed. "Everyone else here is trash! I will take an undisputed first place! I will be the Champion, and you, shitty Deku, stand no chance!" He loosened his grip. "I'm the best trainer around. You… you're a wannabe. Prepare to lose just as badly as last year!" Izuku almost thought he would spit in his face, and was relieved when he didn't.

Izuku paused for a moment, stopping to think. Last year, he hadn't even seen Kacchan. "Kacchan, why didn't you compete last year? You weren't in the roster. If you're so good, why didn't you win the 2-Badge?"

Steam came out of his ears. "HAAA?? WHAT'D YOU SAY TO ME?" Kacchan pushed Izuku back, causing him to stumble. Kacchan switched immediately from seething to a more quiet, controlled anger. His eyes lowered and his voice lacked the rage it had a second before. "None of your damn business, fucknut."

With that, Kacchan stomped away. He didn't even flip Izuku off, which he found weird. What was so weird about his question?

Now that he thought about it, it was really strange that Kacchan didn't compete last year. He made it very clear he saw the tournament, and all throughout their childhood Kacchan always said, well, shouted, about how he would compete. Why not join the ranks as soon as possible? Izuku knew he had the badges. His Pokémon had the strength. Kacchan had always been an excellent strategist, and despite his attitude, he was good with his Pokémon and a great trainer. But he didn't join. He probably could have won the tournament too. But he didn't even enter it. Why?

Izuku's phone dinged, jarring him out of his own mind. He dug it out of his pocket, and clicked it on. He received a message:

_ 12:45pm - Unknown : All 4-Badge competitors, please report to the lounge! The picture below will direct you to the location! _

_ 12:45pm - Unknown : picture _

Izuku unlocked his phone and pulled up the map. It was straightforward, and would only take a few minutes to get there from where he was standing. Izuku took another deep breath. 

Game on.

**Author's Note:**

> i cannot yet give an exact date for the next chapter i'm sorry! i'm writing around school and i'm trying to maintain my grades, but i love doing this, so i am determined!!
> 
> let me know what you think?? <3


End file.
